9 minute read
Agriculture
Rooibos has won the battle for unique regional status
Blueberries are a good investment. Credit: Primocane Capital.
South Africa has a number of unique agricultural products but winning the right to exclude other global producers from using the name of the product is a tough task.
In June 2021 rooibos became the first South African crop to win from the EU the status of protected designation of origin (PDO). Champagne or Port wine are the best-known products that fall into the protected category. The PDO identifies and links a product to a region, making sure that the consumer will get “the real thing” that is specific to that area.
Products that are included in the Geographical Indication Register of the EU currently generate about R1.24-trillion annually. The Western Cape Provincial Government is investigating ways in which other products such as Aloe Ferox, Buchu and various types of flora unique to the province can be added to the list. Karoo lamb is another sought-after delicacy with its own distinct flavour.
With about 350 commercial farmers cultivating 70 000ha (and a further 100 small-scale farmers), the industry produces about 15 000 tons of rooibos, about half of which is exported, mostly to Europe and Japan. The EU designation could lead to higher prices being available to producers.
Another product of the Karoo is mohair. Although more than half the world’s mohair is produced in a relatively small geographical area north of the small Karoo town of Jansenville, there is no chance of getting a PDO for the fleece of the Angora goat because the first animals were imported into South Africa. However, a certificate of another kind has had a big effect in recent months in helping to revive the sector.
The mohair industry took strain after a television documentary claimed that animals were routinely abused. This was denied at the time but the introduction of the Responsible Mohair Standard allows consumers to have peace of mind that animals have been well treated. The RST was set to confirm with standards established by a non-profit organisation, Textile Exchange.
A unique product that is generating a lot of interest is the marula fruit, found in large quantities in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. A Marula Industrial Hub is envisaged for the Palaborwa area which will provide a platform to further exploit the tasty marula fruit, which has a high vitamin C content and is already produced as a beer and a liqueur. The Limpopo Department of Economic Development and
SECTOR INSIGHT Mohair is making a comeback via the Responsible Mohair Standard.
Tourism (LEDET) is encouraging research into the uses of marula and the development of commercial products such as cosmetics and jams. The University of Limpopo is making good progress with a marula wine.
Horticulture is growing
Wandile Sihlobo of Agbiz promotes the idea of South Africa focussing on horticulture, partly because it is so labour intensive. He cites blueberries, which need 2.64 workers for every hectare planted. Signs are promising; gross value rose from R15.8-million in 2008 to R1.25billion in 2018 with the total area planted expanding four times. More than 70% of the blueberry crop is exported as blueberries are growing in popularity globally as a “superfood”. In Mpumalanga an agri-focussed private equity firm, Primocane Capital, manages a large blueberry farm near Barberton on behalf of a mining company, Pan African Resources, which has set up the farm as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
Another subsector to experience rapid export growth is oranges. As a source of vitamin C, oranges grew in popularity as the Covid-19 pandemic spread. South Africa is the world’s second-largest citrus exporter, after Spain, and the number 11 in the world in terms of production. Citrus exports earned South Africa about R20-billion in 2019.
By contrast, flower growers were badly hit by the effects of the global shutdown. Normally, Europe accounts for 80% of exports with the Americas and Japan accounting for the balance. Wool exports suffered too, although this was mostly related to China stopping imports due to a foot-and-mouth disease scare. About 70% of South Africa’s export of this commodity are to China in a normal year.
Avocado exports were worth about R4.3-billion in 2019, with more than 1 000ha of new plantings taking place every year to try to meet growing demand. South Africa is among the top three countries exporting to Europe and the Chinese market is growing at a rapid rate.
Total South African agricultural exports reached R175-billion in 2019 with about 40% going to other African countries and 25% to Europe. The grain and fruit harvests in 2020 were good with the maize return of 15.5-million tons the second-largest ever and 38% better than the previous year’s figure.
Rice and palm oil are 100% dependent on imports and half of the maize that South Africans consume comes from abroad. South Africa imports 80% of its fertiliser and 98% of its agri-chemicals.
While agriculture’s contribution to national GDP is variously given in the range of 2.0%-2.5%, the upstream and downstream links to agriculture through processing and logistics mean that the real contribution is more like 15%.
AgriSA states that the amount of agricultural land in South Africa in 2016 stood at 93.5-million hectares. This represents 76.3% of South Africa’s total land mass of 122.5-million hectares and about 3% less than in 1994.
A total of 70% of South Africa’s grain production is maize, which covers 60% of the cropping area of the country. KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga produce sugar, but volumes are down. The Free State Province supplies significant proportions of the nation’s sorghum, sunflower, potatoes, groundnuts, dry beans, and almost all of its cherries.
South Africa is famous for its fruit, of which 35% is citrus, 23% subtropical and nuts, 26% pome fruit, 11% stone fruit and 9% table grapes. Most of South Africa’s citrus and subtropical fruit comes from the eastern part of Limpopo. There are about 3 500 wine producers in South Africa, with the majority located in the Western Cape.
The Eastern Cape is the largest livestock province. South Africa has a beef herd of 14-million. South Africa’s milk producers normally produce about 3.3-billion litres of milk every year (Milk Producers Association). ■
ONLINE RESOURCES
Agricultural Research Council: www.arc.agric.za Grain SA: www.grainsa.co.za National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: www.daff.gov.za SA Table Grape Industry: www.satgi.co.za South African Berry Producers’ Association: www.berriesza.co.za
South African mohair is once again popular with global fashion brands.
The mohair industry has embraced the Responsible Mohair Standard as we are all aware that the consumer of today is rightfully far more conscious, not only of the impact of their purchases on the environment, but also the impact their purchases have on the people producing the goods.
The Responsible Mohair Standard is all-inclusive and is very specific as to its requirements in respect of the environment and welfare of the animals and all individuals employed in the production of mohair products.
There is no doubt that having Samil’s manufacturing operations certified under the Responsible Mohair Standard has opened new opportunities for trade throughout the world.
However, the dynamic team at Samil feels compelled to ensure that not just the Samil manufacturing operations but all mohair operations owned or run in partnership with Samil, must also be RMS certified. Samil therefore embarked on a concerted drive to have all the Angora goat farms which are either owned or run in partnership with Samil Farming were also certified as RMS.
This was no mean task as there are more than 30 farming operations in the Samil Farming portfolio in and around the Karoo region. However, the Samil Farming Manager, Andries Coetsee, and his very able assistant, Nienke Scholtz, embraced the challenge and Samil is proud to announce that, as of the end of August 2021, all Samil mohair operations are proudly RMS certified.
The benefits of RMS certification After the PETA exposé in 2018, the South African mohair industry became a pariah and many of the top fashion brands vowed to no longer use mohair in their products. This put nearly 30 000 people at risk of being unable to earn a living and feed their families.
Through the determined efforts of Mohair South Africa, in conjunction with The Textile Exchange, in ensuring the development of the Responsible Mohair Standard, the mohair industry has been able to regain the trust, not only of the big fashion brands, but also of the world.
This can clearly be seen in the record mohair prices currently being achieved as brands the world over are scrambling to reintroduce RMScertified mohair articles into their product ranges.
The knock-on effect is that jobs that had previously been in jeopardy are now secured and, due to the new-found appetite for mohair, more jobs have been created.
Sharing Africa’s beauty with the world
SAMIL produces and processes mohair, the noble fibre.
South African Mohair Industries Limited (SAMIL) is the link between mohair producers, processors and consumers. Our vision is to be an innovative South African company specialising in the production and processing of natural fibres, as well as speciality spun yarns.
Mohair, the fleece of the Angora goat, is: • the noble fibre, known as the diamond fibre • lustrous, resilient and offers exceptional colour reflection • one of the world’s most beautiful sustainable natural fibres • a symbol of luxury and exclusivity.
African Expressions Our local brand African Expressions was born of the desire to share Africa’s natural beauty with the rest of the world. Through our unique range of yarns, we express the essence of that which makes Africa magical. Our network of local farmers, who farm in optimal Angora goat conditions, breed stock which bear excellent fibres. This ensures that our yarns are naturally soft to the touch, easy to knit and luxuriously versatile.
SAMIL divisions Farming: SAMIL Farming was established with the primary objective of stabilising and possibly increasing mohair supply to the processors. Combing: SAMIL Natural Fibres Combing is in Berlin, outside East London in the Eastern Cape. As mohair processing has decreased in other parts of the world, SAMIL Combing has become one of the world’s leading processors. Unlike many processing plants SAMIL Combing focusses on and is committed to processing only mohair. Trading: Through a strong support base of affiliated companies, partners and agents, SAMIL has established strong connections throughout the world for the purchase and sale of raw materials and finished goods. South Africa processes in excess of 80% of the world’s mohair production. The advantage of having both top-making and spinning operations in South Africa, as well as access to raw material produced within the company, is that SAMIL is able to offer lots guaranteed from origin, a rare luxury in today’s business environment. Spinning and dyeing: SAMIL Spinning is a global manufacturer of outstanding quality mohair yarns, producing a wide and exclusive range of mohair and mohair blended fancy and fine-spun yarns in both fine-count and coarser varieties. We are internationally renowned for our superior product range and cater for the hand knitting, machine knitting, weaving, hosiery and decor markets. Although we specialise in pure mohair, we also blend mohair with a range of other natural and man-made fibres. Yarns can be custom dyed to any shade at SAMIL’s state-of-the-art dye house. Genetic research: The latest venture under the SAMIL umbrella is the research project called ANGELA which aims to enhance Angora goats and the mohair kidding rates to the improvement of the different hair qualities. The project will make available its results to all in the mohair community.
Contact details Tel: +27 41 486 2430 | Email: yarns@samil.co.za | Website: www.samil.co.za
